Il-Kelb tal-Fenek -
A Fieldwork Description

If somebody hears
the term "Pharaoh Hound" for the first time, he might be tempted to think
this breed is an old Egyptian luxury dog or a new breed, created to get a
dog which looks like the animal drawings from ancient Egypt.

Background

But both issues are
incorrect: The breed we call by the name 'Pharaoh
Hound' is
a dog that is used on the Maltese Islands as a rabbit hunter since
time immemorial. It was the British, through the misconceived advise
from the former UICL (International Union of Sighthound Clubs), who gave
the breed its unfounded name 'Pharaoh Hound'. The original name that the
breed is called by it's Maltese owners is: 'Kelb tal-Fenek'.
This means: 'The Dog of the Rabbit' or 'Rabbit Hound'.

In Malta, the Kelb
tal-Fenek is still today kept and used for hunting nearly exclusively by
farmers. If hunting in former times was a necessity to obtain food and
therefore to solve certain hard circumstances of life, today it is
considered a sport and a preservation of an ancient tradition.

Normally the Maltese
hunter keeps a whole flock of Klieb (plural of 'Kelb' = dog) tal-Fenek, to
make good use of their ability of co-operation. The Maltese especially
prefer well co-operating pairs of one dog and one bitch; in Maltese called
'Mizzewgin' (couple). The selection of the dogs is exclusively practised
for hunting abilities. This is the reason why the breed could preserve its
efficiency (and as the result its beauty) up to our days.

Terrain and Prey

The typical Maltese
landscape consists of rocks, terrace fields, rubble stones and rubble
walls. The Maltese wild rabbit moves in this difficult terrain with
extraordinary nimbleness. It really jumps from one stone to the next and
can change its direction of running at one point immediately. Because of
the rocky underground, the Maltese wild rabbits do not dig burrows, but
hide under rocks, rubble walls and inside the cracks and crevices which
are found near the coast.

The main hunting
areas are found in the rural south and west of the island of Malta and in
most areas of the less intensely populated neighbour island of Gozo. The
third and smallest island of the Maltese archipelago, Comino, is a natural
reserve so all hunting activities are prohibited. There are no game
tenants, but the Maltese generally obey the unwritten rules, and do not
hunt in areas which are reserved for other hunters.

The Search

As soon as the
hunter has reached an area, which is far enough from the main traffic
roads, he lets the hounds off the lead. With their sense of smell, which
is remarkably well developed for a sighthound, they start sniffing for
their prey. They are always moving away from the hunter and working
against the wind, to get the smell of the rabbit early whilst the rabbit
does not notice their approach. It is for that reason that the Kelb
tal-Fenek likes to wallow in the excrement of rabbits or in any other,
intensively smelling material to make his own smell unrecognisable for the
keen nose of the rabbit.

It is typical for
the anatomy of the Kelb tal-Fenek that this dog can reach a remarkable
speed at the trot, although he always has his nose to the ground. The
breed also has a high endurance which makes it
capable of working throughout the whole night.
One never gets the impression the dog is tired.

However, if hunting
is practised during the daylight, the dog has almost no chance to surprise
a rabbit outside its hiding place. When the dog locates a hidden rabbit,
he announces this by loud barking and frantic scratching.

The Work with the
Ferret

When the Kelb
tal-Fenek announces a hidden rabbit, the hunter covers the shelter with a
fine-meshed net. A ferret, carried by the hunter in a basket, is let into
the hiding place of the rabbit. The ferret wears a little bell. This bell
enables the dogs above ground to follow the sound of the ferret and its
prey by using their large, flexible ears. When the rabbit bolts, the
leading dog catches it, whilst the rest of the pack
(or the partner in a Mizzewgin) is ready to snap if the rabbit should escape the first
bite.
The kill is practised in every case, whether the rabbit escapes the net
through an undiscovered exit or likewise, if it has been entangled in the
net.

Since the dogs grow
up together with ferrets, they do not consider them as a prey, and there
is a natural respect that the dogs have for the little animals with sharp
teeth.

The Chase

If the hunting takes
place in the twilight or in the darkness of the summer nights, there is a
good chance for the dogs to find a rabbit in the open field, because
rabbits have to search for food in the dry landscape in larger distances
from their hiding places. If the Kelb tal-Fenek has scared a rabbit, he
chases it, whilst he barks in the certain sound the Maltese call
"Kurriera". In that way the hunter is always oriented where dogs and prey
are, although the scene is very difficult to survey because of the
darkness and the many rubble walls.

The other reason for
the "Kurriera" is also to inform the other dogs so that they assist in
chasing the fleeing rabbit. During chase the Kelb tal-Fenek does not only
orientate itself on the prey but also takes into consideration the
behaviour of his partners as well as the contours and cracks of the rough
terrain. Instinctively the slower dogs try to shorten the turns of the
rabbit so as to get the chance for the kill. In a well co-operating
Mizzewgin often the smaller, nimble bitch takes the part of chasing,
whilst the stronger, slower dog cuts the way of the rabbit.

When searching, the
Kelb tal-Fenek moves away from his owner and into the wind, but
when chasing a prey, he normally drives it towards his
master. This instinctive behaviour often makes it possible for the hunter
to intervene before the pack lacerates
the rabbit.

Because of the
difficult Maltese landscape, speed is not the outstanding attribute of the
Kelb tal-Fenek as a sighthound, but he shows an extraordinary power in
jumping, nimbleness and attentiveness. A good Kelb tal-Fenek is always
attentive of the terrain that he is hunting on, and gives due
consideration to where he actually treads (although this is not often
noticed due to the speed at which this is done). A Kelb tal-Fenek is
likewise always aware that his prey will change its direction of running
or will bolt into shelter. This is expressed in the breed's style of
running on flat ground, which is, compared with a Whippet or Greyhound, a
bit reserved. The ears, often laid back in gallop, are erect at every
action of the prey as a sign of high attentiveness and strain. People who
have seen the terrain on which the Kelb tal-Fenek hunts are quick to
comment that other sighthounds would break their legs if they would travel
at such speed on this type of ground.

Behaviour if Dog
Looses Sight of Prey

If the Kelb
tal-Fenek looses sight of the rabbit during the chase he searches through
the area by widening circles, using his excellent sense of smell, until he finds his prey
again. In difficult
terrain the dog sometimes orientates itself by jumping.

The Kill

If the Kelb
tal-Fenek catches a rabbit in chase, he grips it by a bite into the neck
or back and shakes it until it is dead. Often he makes his prey tumble by
hitting it with one front paw in advance.

If the rabbit bolts
into a hiding place, the Kelb tal-Fenek announces this, as described
previously, by loud barking. This sound is different from the typical
"Kurriera", so that the dog's master knows when he can continue hunting
with net and ferret.

If there are cracks
in the hunting areas, which can be used as shelters by the rabbits, they
are covered with nets before the hunting starts. So the rabbit entangles
in the net if it tries to jump back into the crack.

Other Uses in
Hunting

In the Maltese
islands, the Kelb tal-Fenek is not exclusively used for hunting rabbits.
Sometimes, although rarely today, he is also used in hunting quail and
woodcock. The Kelb
tal-Fenek searches and flushes the birds so that the hunter can shoot them
down. This is indicative of the breed's excellent sense of smell.

Although it is not
common, a few hunters also train their dogs for retrieving the shot down
birds or the killed rabbits.

A natural liking of
the Kelb tal-Fenek is to hunt hidden mice or rats. If a number of dogs are
working together, one can very well see the instinctive participation of
tasks which makes a Mizzewgin. Whilst one dog intensely digs, the other
dog(s) stand nearby, without looking away from the hiding place of the
prey. The erect ears and fine wrinkles on the dog's head show the
expression of strained attentiveness. If the prey tries to escape, in
every case it will be caught by one of the waiting dogs, if it has not
been killed by the digging dog before. This practice of hunting mice or
rats is much disliked by the Maltese hunters since it distracts the Kelb
tal-Fenek from its true prey - the rabbit. It is therefore very much
discouraged.

Other Uses

The Kelb tal-Fenek
is traditionally not popular as a pet in Malta. But in the agricultural
scope, besides his use in hunting, he also tasks as a guard dog. With his
keen sense of hearing he quickly locates the approach of strangers and
announces them by loud barking.

Some farmers also
use the Kelb tal-Fenek to accompany their flocks of sheep and goats when
bringing them to their pasture grounds. But in this use, the Kelb
tal-Fenek does not show any intensive work with the flock like a real
shepherd dog.

Remarks

The Kelb tal-Fenek
owes his survival and actual appearance to his efficiency, which is the
reason that this dog has been pure bred under the specific conditions of
the Maltese Islands during these past centuries, following delivered
traditions.

To keep a Kelb
tal-Fenek outside Malta means to take away this natural framework. It is
therefore the obligation of every Kelb tal-Fenek-owner abroad, to bear in
mind this Maltese inheritance and to preserve the character and appearance
of the breed.

This includes giving
the Kelb tal-Fenek the opportunity to use his intelligence and efficiency.
Among the possible activities, the participation in lure coursing has an
outstanding position. The present fieldwork description of the Kelb
tal-Fenek shall give owners and likewise judging officials a chance to
better understand of the character and behaviour of this fascinating breed.

However one should
never forget the fact that lure coursing can only be an imperfect
compensation for the performance the dog has to deliver in its country of
origin. The lure coursing trial can never simulate the condition of live
coursing. An objective judging of the hunting performance of the Kelb
tal-Fenek is - like in all breeds of hunting dogs
- only possible during chase of live prey under the conditions of the
country of origin.